MPP LVX6048WP vs Sol-Ark

[unhandled]

I’m interested in hearing thoughts about how I should think about comparing the MPP LVX6048WP vs a Sol-Ark 8K. I liked read so far with the Sol-Ark but the 3x price difference is really killing me. It really puts a dent in the ROI of the system. If I were to spend that much on the inverter, might as well go for the 15k to get the 200a passthrough but that would be another 3K more. Help!

I’m looking at a first phase with around 7kW -10kW solar input with the intent to expand on that in the future.

 

[robby]

The 15K is a better value for the money than the 8K.
As for the differences it involves Time of Use settings so that you can control how much battery power you use and when and the priority of charging versus powering the loads.
Sell back to the Grid is another feature and also the ability to blend power from any three sources together to the loads and control how it is blended. Grid/Generator with PV and Battery. Also the Inverter is fully compliant with all the states codes so it will pass an inspection without a problem. There are many other advantages like 24/7 customer live phone support. Those are the main advantages.

The MPP LVX6048WP is a good inverter, it all depends on what you are trying to achieve. If your not grid tied then it might be your better option due to the price. I can say that Ian at Watts247 offers great customer service if you decide to go with the MPP.

 

[fafrd]

I’m interested in hearing thoughts about how I should think about comparing the MPP LVX6048WP vs a Sol-Ark 8K. I liked read so far with the Sol-Ark but the 3x price difference is really killing me. It really puts a dent in the ROI of the system. If I were to spend that much on the inverter, might as well go for the 15k to get the 200a passthrough but that would be another 3K more. Help!

I’m looking at a first phase with around 7kW -10kW solar input with the intent to expand on that in the future.

Yeah, you really need to provide more details on what your objectives are.

If I was putting a piece of electronic equipment into my house whose correct and reliable functionality the house would be taking on to operate for 10 or 20 years, I’d want a product from a real company with real customer support and the deep pockets and engineering depth to support that product over the ling-haul.

If I was building a system on which the house would not be fully reliant (grid always available for backup) and I was aiming to upgrade to new offerings within ~5 years or so given the current rapid states of technological change in this market, I’d be more inclined to keep my powder dry and go for a riskier budget offering from an outfit like MPP.

I put in two 1kW GTIL inverters costing me $275 each one year ago for precisely that reason. As the story with EVs and chargers supporting bidirectional charging and V2H unfolds, I’ll be upgrading to a long-term EV/Hybrid/V2H solution based on high-quality products from real companies with real US support (and costing a pretty penny as a result).

Until then, I’m learning about the technology and keeping my powder dry.

 

[unhandled]

Thanks for the feedback so far. You bring good points. Here’s a bit more info about my use cases.

I was aiming to only do net metering at the beginning meaning a grid interactive inverter was a must.

My last month AC peak was around 15kW which would include EV charging. I’m using Emporia sensors to measure so I have pretty good usage data but not yet during the winter.

I wasn’t considering TOU as this didn’t look something Hydro Quebec was offering. I then remembered about something one of their subsidiaries is offering which is something similar but not as extensive. They basically measure your house baseline and when they expect peak demand, they send you challenges to reduce your consumption during that time period. As an reward, you get a 0.55$/kWh saved. The challenges only happen during the winter.

Based on that, I’ve started wondering if batteries would start to make more sense ROI wise. I had excluded batteries as that was just extending the payback period too much as electricity is pretty cheap at around 0.09$/kWh.

I like the idea of V2H but I’m wondering how far we are from a vendor/manufacturer agnostic solution. Only one I had heard was with the Ford Lightning.

 

[fafrd]

Thanks for the feedback so far. You bring good points. Here’s a bit more info about my use cases.

I was aiming to only do net metering at the beginning meaning a grid interactive inverter was a must.

My last month AC peak was around 15kW which would include EV charging. I’m using Emporia sensors to measure so I have pretty good usage data but not yet during the winter.

I wasn’t considering TOU as this didn’t look something Hydro Quebec was offering. I then remembered about something one of their subsidiaries is offering which is something similar but not as extensive. They basically measure your house baseline and when they expect peak demand, they send you challenges to reduce your consumption during that time period. As an reward, you get a 0.55$/kWh saved. The challenges only happen during the winter.

Based on that, I’ve started wondering if batteries would start to make more sense ROI wise. I had excluded batteries as that was just extending the payback period too much as electricity is pretty cheap at around 0.09$/kWh.

I like the idea of V2H but I’m wondering how far we are from a vendor/manufacturer agnostic solution. Only one I had heard was with the Ford Lightning.

The Volkswagen ID.4 is supposed to get a DW upgrade to support the newly-released ISO standard for bidirectional charging by the end of this year and the 2023 ID.4s are supposed to ship with the capability from the start.

We’ll see if Hyundai and the other V1X pioneers like Ford follow suit in 2023 or nit until 2024, but hopefully the snowballing will start soon.

If you’re already an Emporia EV customer, you should have a look at the bidirectional charger they plan to launch next spring. You might need to get a new bidirectional-capable EV to capitalize on it, but I’d much rather spend a few $10s of thousands of dollars on anew EV with a huge battery than on an overnight-sized house battery.

There is also the question about how comfortable you are with DIY and how critical permitting and getting everything approved by the powers that be are to you.

There are easy ways to payoff the cost of a modest-sized battery through offset of consumption offset, but not using expensive kit such as Solark.

What size solar array do you have and what type? (String or Microinverter)

 

[unhandled]

I was looking at a string setup of between 7-10kW to start. Since I’m going with a ground mount, I didn’t think of going the microinverter route for cost efficiency purposes. I’d like to scale that to 15-20kW at some point. Maybe when the panels efficiency get a good enough bump.

I started clearing some wood for the ground mount. I have the space for the first rack but debating if I should clear for a second one already. Probably safer to do it now.

I doubt my current Mach-E will allow that but my next car probably will!

 

[fafrd]

I was looking at a string setup of between 7-10kW to start. Since I’m going with a ground mount, I didn’t think of going the microinverter route for cost efficiency purposes. I’d like to scale that to 15-20kW at some point. Maybe when the panels efficiency get a good enough bump.

I started clearing some wood for the ground mount. I have the space for the first rack but debating if I should clear for a second one already. Probably safer to do it now.

I doubt my current Mach-E will allow that but my next car probably will!

Microinverters are getting cheaper and cheaper, and the flexibility of AC-coupling offers a lot of future l-proofing versus DC-coupling (to say nothing of the fact that wiring 240VAC is safer than DC wiring).

For $150, I’m getting an 800W Microinverter that costs $150 - thar’s a hair over $0.05/W and if you need It RAD electronics costing over half that level per panel anyway, Microinverters become a no-brainer (especially if you have any shading to desk with).

Of course if you’re getting an AIO with integrated MPPT inputs, that changes the equation. I’m just saying that if you look at what you can achieve with a basic SCC, a battery, and some GTIL inverters to offset consumption using your stored solar energy, you’ll be surprised…

If backup power is a high priority,that changes things. But I breaking even through offset of consumption is your main goal, there are other options you might want to consider…

 

[robby]

The reality is that at 9 cents/KWH there is almost nothing in solar that is going to give you ROI. You have to be aiming for energy independence or just backup power as a driving factor to make the investment.

 

[Wet1]

I looked at every option. Little cheap inverters, grid ties, hybrids, small and large, imports and domestic. No storage, then later realized storage was almost a must given the crap NM programs in my area. Up coming ToU plans, etc. Long story short, I decided to just bit the bullet on the SA 15k, even though it was a lot more inverter than I need at the moment. Nothing else solved all the needs and wants, offered tons of expansion options and room to grow, plus had domestic service, and simplified the install/parts needed. It's not what I initially budgeted for, but I think when I looked at the big picture, it was the right move.

One thing I didn't want to do (which I see over and over on this forum), is buy crap, or undersized equipment, over and over slowly wasting money building a bigger and better system. Pay once IMO.

 

[BlueMarblePA]

The reality is that at 9 cents/KWH there is almost nothing in solar that is going to give you ROI. You have to be aiming for energy independence or just backup power as a driving factor to make the investment.

This is very true! I am currently paying 6 cents/kwh, but in three months, I will be paying at least 16 cents/kwh. This is what is driving my search for solar

 

[BlueMarblePA]

I looked at every option. Little cheap inverters, grid ties, hybrids, small and large, imports and domestic. No storage, then later realized storage was almost a must given the crap NM programs in my area. Up coming ToU plans, etc. Long story short, I decided to just bit the bullet on the SA 15k, even though it was a lot more inverter than I need at the moment. Nothing else solved all the needs and wants, offered tons of expansion options and room to grow, plus had domestic service, and simplified the install/parts needed. It's not what I initially budgeted for, but I think when I looked at the big picture, it was the right move.

One thing I didn't want to do (which I see over and over on this forum), is buy crap, or undersized equipment, over and over slowly wasting money building a bigger and better system. Pay once IMO.

I just found this company Unbound Solar, and this is what they said in their website post regarding Sol Ark

The Sol-Ark has too many features to elaborate on but offers - DC coupling of solar PV and battery, a grid-independent critical load output, a smart load output for higher self-consumption via 'solar spilling', and CT sensors to keep solar behind the utility overlords' meter and jurisdiction. It was designed to prioritize solar PV as the primary energy source, with the grid eventually serving <10% of electricity needs during non-solar-friendly conditions and seasons.

Not sure how to share their post on Facebook from August 3rd. "Unbound Solar" Steven Sherman of Sherman Farms recently installed a 20-module, 7.8 kW DC solar array."

I am thinking about how to DIY my house right now and am strongly considering how to employ Sol Ark.

 

[robby]

I just found this company Unbound Solar, and this is what they said in their website post regarding Sol Ark

The Sol-Ark has too many features to elaborate on but offers - DC coupling of solar PV and battery, a grid-independent critical load output, a smart load output for higher self-consumption via 'solar spilling', and CT sensors to keep solar behind the utility overlords' meter and jurisdiction. It was designed to prioritize solar PV as the primary energy source, with the grid eventually serving <10% of electricity needs during non-solar-friendly conditions and seasons.

Not sure how to share their post on Facebook from August 3rd. "Unbound Solar" Steven Sherman of Sherman Farms recently installed a 20-module, 7.8 kW DC solar array."

I am thinking about how to DIY my house right now and am strongly considering how to employ Sol Ark.

It's the most Flexible unit on the Market so it can basically be used in any wiring situation that you can think of.